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3.07.2011

Et tou what? Why it's Cajun,Crouch Crawfish Etouffee

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Etouffee
Photo Credit: Lara Ferroni

With Mardi Gras celebrations happening in New Orleans, it made me think about an annual crawfish boil that some friends of ours host each year. The first time we attended, I was pregnant with my daughter. It was a nice, cool, southern May evening. My adorable friend had all this wonderful food for everyone to eat including this yummy, rich gumbo served over rice. I think I ate it as if I had not eaten in weeks. My son, who was then three, loved it and it got two thumbs up from my husband, too. On my second or third helping of the dish (remember, I was very pregnant), I motioned my friend over.

I asked in between bites, "What is this? It's so good?"

She told me it was Etouffee. I probably looked at her puzzled and as if I needed to free my ears of wax because I didn't understand her. I think I said, "Et tou what? She told us it was Crawfish Etouffee, and it was her first time making her husband's family recipe. Her husband was born in Louisiana, and the recipe has been in the family for years.

I asked my friend if I could share it with all of you, and after checking with her in-laws, she said yes.

Get ready to make some melt in your mouth, Cajun goodness! This Crouch family recipe calls for crawfish, but I did some research on Etouffee just for us since I've never personally made it. I just love the internet! I would have had much better college grades if I could have researched on-line like you can now as opposed to library books and microfiche. Here's what I learned. Etouffee is the french word for "smother". It is most popular with shellfish, chicken, or a combination of both. So, if you have difficulty getting crawfish then shrimp would be a great substitute.

First, melt butter or margarine in pot. Your heat should not make the butter froth up (you will want to keep this heat going the whole time). Saute bell peppers in butter for about 6 minutes. Now add all the onion. Saute down until onion is soft and yellowish, remember to stir often.

Add cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, and the can of Rotel. Let it come to room temperature. Add celery, button mushrooms, and spices to taste. You will have to put quite a bit of paprika to make it a nice brownish orange color. Let cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

About 10 minutes after you put in the vegetables, pour 1/4-1/2 can of beer into the pot. You may also need to add water if the stew is too thick for you. With about 15 minutes left, add crawfish and green onions.
Let cook for about 15 minutes or until crawfish are done, stirring occasionally.

Remove and pour over white rice.

Enjoy! And Let the Good Times Roll this week with some yummy Crouch Crawfish Etouffee.

Until next time, I'm grabbing a cup of tea and getting to the grocery store.

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Meet Leigh Hines

Leigh Powell Hines, a former TV Journalist/Communications Executive, combined motherhood and her journalism experience and started The Hines-Sight Blog, a lifestyle/travel blog to inspire parents to pack their bags for family travels. On her blog, hotels are just as important as the destination. As founder of#OutaboutNC, an online social media community, she guides visitors to the best places to see, eat, and stay in North Carolina. She loves simple food, hotels and wellness. Even though she has a soft spot for luxury vacations, she has to budget like everyone else and is always searching for that lux deal.